Gold Medal

2010 Winner - Alex Trebek

A popular television host will be honoured this fall with a Gold Medal from The Royal Canadian Geographical Society, for his significant achievements in geography.

Alex Trebek needs no introduction to the millions of Jeopardy! fans who have watched him host the quiz show over the past 26 years. But what they may not know about him is his singular dedication to geographic education. In addition to his busy television career, Trebek has hosted many student geography competitions over the years, including the National Geographic Bee in the United States and the Society’s Geography Challenge in Canada. While the Geography Challenge is now held online, Trebek has fond memories of hosting the national finals in Ottawa, from 1995 to 2002.

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Alex Trebek and Team Canada 2009

“I love working with young people,” says the native of Sudbury, Ont., “and to see how bright these young geographers are.” He adds that he was pleased that the Canadian team won the National Geographic World Championship last year in Mexico City. For Trebek, geography is more than just a school subject. Recent events such as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the volcanic eruption in Iceland show that understanding geography is more important than ever before. “These are geographic events,” he says, “and they affect people directly.”